


Surviving Ragnarok

by AyumiFallassion



Category: ARK: Survival Evolved
Genre: Argentavis, Baryonyx - Freeform, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Equus, Gen, adventures in the ark, leeds fish, parasaur, people being people, personal run through, titanosaur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 04:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14824916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyumiFallassion/pseuds/AyumiFallassion
Summary: The beach was quiet, save for the plaintive songs of a single resident. Liz is one of a few known residents of the ARK, who finds that she enjoys eking out a living amongst the dinos more than she ever did back on Earth.





	1. Chapter 1

Surviving Ragnarok

Disclaimer: I do not own Ark: Survival Evolved, though the characters are all mine.

* * *

 

More than people, Liz missed music.

She had been a 'guest' on the dinosaur-infested continent for months now, and while there were people over the mountains, she preferred living by herself in the area that had been nicknamed Scotland. The horses that dotted the plains were better family than her last one had been, and the mountain folk came down every now and then to trade with her for a mount or two. She was becoming famous for her horses. Her herd numbered in the dozens at the moment, as well as a pair of trikes (named Stompy and Sarah) and a Parasaur (Mule) for hauling large amounts of cargo. She wanted a Raptor eventually, but they couldn't survive in the cold of the Highlands, and she needed to work on her pteradon's stamina anyway (Nimbus).

But more than people, she missed music. It had been so easy to find, to listen to, to create back on Earth, that people took it for granted, and Liz had been no exception. Waking up cold and naked on the shores had been jarring, but not so much as having to run away from a giant fecking spider. It wasn't until finding the Strip of the Bold that she had stopped running, the spider busy fighting a Bronto. She had offered a quiet cheer when the sauropod had squished it, then spend a cold night huddled up against a tree, hastily built fire the only thing that kept her from freezing. It was then that she'd noticed the diamond embedded in her arm, and the fact that her music player was gone, not to mention all of her clothes.

Right now, months after that horrid night, she was about as well off as she was going to get in this area. She leaned back in Misty's saddle, staring up into the sky as she hummed, a small train of new tames plodding behind her. "I breathe underwater, it's all in my head, what can I do? Don't let it fall apart!" she sang, kicking the mare into a gallop over the plains, song swelling as she leaned into the wind. The paddock wasn't too far ahead, and she jumped down from the saddle to open the gates and lead the train in, Misty waiting patiently outside. The new mounts snorted and whinnied at the rest of the herd, old War Admiral taking charge as the lead stallion. Stormy, an old mare who had been tamed at the same time as Misty, was leaning over the fence waiting for her friend, but Liz was emptying the saddlebags of wood, stone, and narcoberries gathered out from the plain.

The 'castle' was only half finished, the ceiling on, but the walls for the second level only half up. The beginnings of the towers were peeking up, the only corners more than two panels high. The fresh stone was going up as new walls and a few ceiling pieces over one corner to protect the fabricator. The berries went into the basket next to the mortar and pestle, and slim fingers pressed against the diamond. Her eyes glowed the same color of the device, and she drew her hand away, panels forming in mid air. Yeah, this was the main reason she didn't think she was on Earth anymore. Ignore the dinosaurs, science is amazing after all, but even she knew that the tech of the diamond was well beyond anything even being researched. The panels went up, slotting into the walls and new ceiling with ease, and she signed before leaning against the stone, pulling a piece of cooked meat out to chew through it hungrily. Parasaur made decent jerky she heard, but the oil needed to make it was very rare on her part of the coast, though more common out in the mountains with the others. In one corner was a hollowed out log, drying out slowly. Hopefully this one would make a good drum, the last two had dried unevenly, and had bad sound. This one was turning out good so far though.

A snort outside the window, and Liz smiled as one of the geldings eyeballed her in annoyance. "Hey Seabiscuit," she crooned, scratching thick fur right above that eye. Her horses were all named after all the famous equines she could remember, from historical to fantasy. War Admiral, Seabiscuit, and another stallion named Pharoah were named for racehorses, while the newest three were Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo, and Appleblossom. The lead mare was a zebra-striped lady named Zecora, and the herd was full of other mounts including Twilight, Artax, and even Shadowfax. Liz hadn't been an owner of horses back on Earth, but a cog in the machine of the workforce. Every little girl loves horses growing up though, and Liz had been no exception. The oldest mare, a cherry red named Ember, had been her first tame, and an accident. She had given her one of the wild carrots, and she had started following her around. She was now pregnant, along with a handful of the other mares, and Liz was looking forward to seeing tiny foals racing around the paddock. She eyeballed the fence as 'Biscuit leaned into the scratches; she might have to expand the paddock before the foals dropped. She pushed that large head away after another minute, slapping a shoulder to encourage him to rejoin the herd. She was considering gelding some of the other stallions; 'Biscuit was the calmest of them, and it would be a good idea to help control the bloodlines when her mares came into season again.

"Hail the beach!" Liz ducked her head out the door, grinning at the sight of the string of dinosaurs and their riders coming up onto the beach. At the end of the line was a paracer with a small hut on it's back, a pair of chimneys poking through the roof an indication of how they kept warm enough to get through the MurderSnow.

"Hail the train!" she called, stepping out onto the beach to greet the man riding a gray Dire Wolf. Joe threw back his hood, revealing brown eyes and brown hair matted down with body oils and sweat, but he was grinning too as he pulled his wolf up, offering a pat on the shoulder when the animal whined back at him. He only had two more people with him, a man on a Daedon, and the butch woman on the paracer. The boar was licking the wound on the Paracer's leg, and even as she watched, Liz could see the wound starting to close.

"How's it been, Liz? The beach been quiet?"

The woman shrugged, letting the wolf sniff her hand. "Quiet as it can be. Been avoiding the eastern cliffs, saw a trio of allosaurus up there. If you guys can kill them or lead them away, I'd be willing to offer a good price on a gravid mare."

Joe had the evilest smirk on his face at this. "Yum, I've missed veal."

"Don't be an ass." This came from the man on the Daedon, who was waltzing up after tying the reins to part of the paracer. "Hey Liz, it's good to see you again," he offered, offering a handshake. They clasped arms, the man nodding in approval at the new muscle he could feel in her forearms, and Liz pulling him in for a hug. Nathan, unlike Joe, understood boundaries, so Liz enjoyed his company more than the mountain leader. "We actually have something special for you," he offered, pulling her behind him back to the giant pig. "We took a short cut through the forest near the volcano, and we found this," he placed a hand on a saddlebag, popping open the bag as he continued. "There's no way we can get it back alive, so we were wondering if you'd be willing to try and hatch it."

"Try to hatch w- Oh My Good Lord!" Liz couldn't help the yelp as Nathan pulled out a large poisonous green egg, placing it in her arms. "Why?! Why do you think I can hatch a fucking Dragon?"

"Wyvern. And like I said, it won't survive the journey back over the mountain. But if you hatch it for us and raise it, we'll be more than willing to pay for your time."

Liz looked helplessly at the egg, struggling to wrap her arms around it's scaly outsides. "What the hell will it eat? The Strip doesn't have that many animals I can hunt down."

He had an answer for that too. The woman driving the paracer climbed down when flagged, a pack in hand. "We found these on a dead wyvern near the egg. It tastes milky, so try these if it refuses anything else." Inside was a few bottles of what seemed to be milk, preserving salt packed deeply around them.

Liz sighed; looks like she was going to hatch a Wyvern. The sigh turned into a scowl. "You'll owe me a lot for this. Like, this guys weight in metal. Processed, not raw ore."

"Deal. You have fun with this guy, and we'll be back for him in a month. Till then, you got any equus you're willing to sell?"


	2. Leed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As idolic as it is, the sea of the Ark holds its own dangers...

The fish were swimming lazily in the river, ranging from the tiny fry to the monstrous adults, blunt headed and brown or gray or even the bright blue or reds. The Coelacanth were growing well this year, their river tributary protected from most hunters by the unrelenting heat of the desert that it cut through. 

Splash! A spear quivered as it buried itself into the bottom of the river, vibrating from the weak struggles of the fish stuck on the shaft. The hunter smiled to himself as he pulled the weapon up, bare feet gripping the wet rocks that barely rose over the water. It looked like a big fish this time. It would feed him and his tiny herd for a few days. He hacked away at the primitive monster, filets falling into the open mouth of the travel pack at his feet, beeswax coating the inside of the leather to help protect it from blood and viscera. 

Yuuki was a fisherman. Descended from a long line of fishermen and pearl divers, he was infinitely more comfortable out at sea than stuck up in a tree like the rest of his old tribe. He still traded with them of course, giving them oil and pearls to pay off the ‘lease’ of the boat and the animals, but as long as he came to the meeting point once a month, he was his own man. 

Not that the sea didn’t have its own dangers of course. The Megalodon were always a threat, and he had to keep a wary eye out for the giant jelly fish if he went diving too far out from the coast line. Basilosaurus weren’t very aggressive, but the manta rays that follow them like cleaner birds to an elephant were. And he hadn’t gone out deep enough yet, but he had heard rumors about giant squid with a taste for human flesh. 

A scree of protest reached his ears, and he reached up to pat the cruelly hooked beak that hovered over his shoulder. “The next one is for you Tobi,” he promised, gently pushing those glossy black feathers away. Dark eyes scanned the waters, spear arcing down to take another fish. This one he lifted straight up to the Argy, letting him take the entire thing with obvious delight. He wiped his brow, eyeing the cool water. It was cooler over the river than on the sands, but it was still blazing hot. A quick dip would feel lovely right about now...

As if reading his mind, a massive fin breached the waters’ surface, reaching up towards the sky till it looked almost like the sail of a wooden raft. The Meg was just waiting for him to do something as vulnerable as jumping into the water. 

Even so, the tributary was in the middle of the desert, and unbearably hot even without his normal vestments. He whistled for the Argy, hooking spear to the saddle and feet into leather straps to swing up a second behind it. The boat wasn’t too far out, but he couldn’t out swim the shark. 

The boat itself was built around a metal raft and made to look and handle like a small yacht, a small smithy tucked into a corner near the bottom door; crates filled with basic supplies squeezed in wherever there was room while a series of benches flanked a dining table in the small bottom room. A spiral staircase lead up to the bedroom, the small balcony coupled with a trough of fresh water for his Argy, while the bottom deck was festooned with a pair of garden plots, lemon-like fruit and starchy potatoes thriving in the heat. 

The fire was stoked and the fish set out to cook, rough sea salt sprinkled over the filets even as Yuuki pushed away a curious muzzle. “No Hana, not for you,” he scolded before offering the baryonyx a piece of raw fish from his bag. The Argy croaked down at them from his balcony rail perch, preening wingtips as the fisherman reclined back against the glass window separating deck from forge. 

This wasn’t a bad life. It was calmer than the forest, and he loved anchoring his boat near the shore and falling asleep to the rocking of the waves. He had Tobi to help him hunt on land and Hana for deeper dives, and the sea as his home. 

Dark eyes scanned that blue horizon, taking in the distance line of sky and sea. He wondered if anyone had tried to sail out of the range of the island. Everyone had heard rumors of people training flyers to reach for the stars, only to bounce off of the net that encompassed the sky...

The boat rocked a touch, moving against the motion of the waves. He wasn’t too worried, the megalodons liked to nudge the boat curiously every now and again. Only for him to jump to his feet at the next stronger shudder. This wasn't a meg, this was something larger...

A flash of something white. White and huge! This surely wasn't a shark, or a basilosaurus, or even a giant squid. This looked more like a giant fish. A fish that was charging the boat!

"Hana! Go!" The baryonyx doze into the water, crocodilian head ramming into a snout and turning the creature away long enough for Yuuki to kick over the motor and aim the boat for the shore, desperate prayers flowing from his lips as he hoped it would be shallow enough to keep the attacker away. He had weapons in one of the crates, but the boat could only take so much damage before sinking. He got lucky though, and the boat scrunched into the sand, firmly mooring it to the shore. 

Now was the chance to fight back. He could see Hana circling the fish, jaws flashing as she dove in to bite at fins and gills, but it was a fly biting at a horse. Annoying but not much damage. A crate creaked as the lid was thrown back, and Yuuki smiled grimly as he armed himself with speargun and crossbow. Let’s see how this whale of a fish likes a bolt in the eye. 

A whistle for Tobi to follow him and the man dove into the water, wishing he’d had time to grab his scuba gear. The first bolt jammed in the hard bony head of the fish, barely missing Hana’s tail tip, but the spear a second behind it went right into the gills. The fish (it was huge!) moaned and rolled in pain, mouth opening wide to scoop up water and the random unlucky fish, the baryonyx taking the chance to tear at the lips and tongue, giving the man a chance to reload. Yuuki had no clue what this creature was, but it didn’t matter when it turned a beady eye on him and started thrashing towards him!

Yuuki didn’t panic. He was a fisherman of the Ark, a killer of prehistoric sharks and crocodiles. He kicked upwards, reached out, and grabbed a scaly leg. “Tobi, up!” He barked as his head broke the surface of the water, and the Argy screamed defiance as he ascended, human passenger streaming water as he dangled from a clawed foot. The fish was still following, mouth open like it was yawning, bringing to mind the whales of earth and how they would hunt for krill. That mouth was nothing but a target, and Yuuki fired another spear into the back of that surprisingly tiny throat. 

It thrashed again, in obvious pain, the sea turning to bloody foam as it accidentally beached itself in the shallows. Hana backed off from her attack with a firm whistle, trotting up into the sands as Yuuki and Tobi came back down to earth to watch the creature die. 

And die it did, though it died hard. Its thrashing had worked the sand into the water, sucking it down and mooring it to the floors. It gasped for air, blood flowing past shredded lips and spear tip waggling in its mouth. With one final gasp, it’s head fell into the murky waters, eyes glazing over as it succumbed to its various wounds, choking on air and its own blood. 

They only had a short time to celebrate their victory. The scent of the kill hung heavily in the air, and Yuuki could only carve off a large flank of prime fish meat before vibrations in the sand alerted him to an approaching carnivore, a large one at that. He pushed against the boat, rocking it to release the suction of wet sand, and hopped back on board in time to catch an outgoing wave, the open sea calling to him. Hana pulled herself back into the deck and flopped over, scaled belly engorged with meat, and Tobi was sitting heavy on his makeshift perch, head bobbing down as he started to doze. Yuuki turned back to glance at his kill, boat puttering back out to sea, only to flinch at the sight of one of the true super predators of the Ark. a gigantasaurus was trotting down the sand bank, red eyes fixed on the offering of prime fish.

Yuuki could only shudder at how close he’d been to that mouthful of daggers, hands gripping the motor tightly. Even with random whale fish, the sea was safer. He’d be happy to take his chances out here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God damn Leeds fish! I’ve lost wooden rafts to the fuckers. So when one charged my metal raft you bet I tried my best to kill it! 
> 
> And then it killed me anyway. But at least I saved the raft!
> 
> My boat design is based on this one here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1hYFcXCH_0Q


End file.
